Get ready for #youranCnoc Day

Whisky Wants Best anCnoc Moments for June 17^th Twitter Contest

Smart phones at the ready! On Monday June 17^th anCnoc Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky wants whisky fans around the world to snap and Tweet a picture of how they most enjoy a dram – and in return their idea could feature on one of 10 personally illustrated bottles of anCnoc with one lucky winner cinching a trip to New York.

In a first for the brand, #youranCnoc builds on anCnoc’s long standing association with design and illustration by asking whisky drinkers around the world to share their own anCnoc moments as the creative spark for their own exclusive bottle.

It’s simple to get involved with this fast-paced, one-day Twitter event – think about how you like to drink your anCnoc, snap a picture that sums it up, and Tweet it to @anCnoc_whisky using #youranCnoc between 00.00 (GMT) on Monday June 17^th and 09.00 (GMT) on Tuesday June 18^th.

The 10 winning images will be chosen over the course of the next day and used to inspire bespoke illustrations by Scottish-born, New York- based illustrator – and anCnoc partner – Peter Arkle at his studio in Manhattan. His finished drawings will be speedily dispatched across the Atlantic to the anCnoc team in Scotland where the 10 unique packs will be created for winners.

In an exciting twist for entrants, on Monday June 24^th, the anCnoc team will also reveal their favourite overall #youranCnoc Tweet which will win its creator a four-night stay in New York with a friend, to enjoy the sites and to be presented with their bottle by Peter.

anCnoc Brand Manager Gillian Gibson said:

“anCnoc’s series of illustrated Peter Arkle exclusives has been extremely popular, so we are very excited to be taking the idea to a whole new level with this campaign, giving our drinkers the chance to have their very own anCnoc moment brought to life and illustrated by Peter on our packs.

“For me, I would say my #youranCnoc moment is sitting in the garden with my nearest and dearest enjoying a sunny barbecue with my dram.

“For others it might be looking out over the countryside, or sitting down at the beach or even curled up by the fire with the dog. There are no right answers. We’re just looking for pictures that inspire us and really sum up the different experiences people have and their love of good whisky. It’s now over to our drinkers and we are really looking forward to seeing the results of our first twitter challenge on June 17^th.”

The #youranCnoc campaign has been launched to celebrate the third Limited Edition Peter Arkle release for anCnoc. The latest release, which features an illustration depicting the brick work at the Knockdhu distillery is filled with a liquid which has anCnoc’s signature honey and lemon smell and has a spicy taste with notes of citrus, sherry and dark chocolate.

Limited to only 1000 cases, this Limited Edition will be available online and through specialist retailers in the UK as well as across the globe in the USA, Germany, Russia, Japan, Taiwan and Canada.

Peter Arkle commented:

“The terms ‘money-can’t buy’ and ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ are often used but in this instance that really is the case. This is such an exciting opportunity for people to get a truly personal bottle of anCnoc which will be long treasured I’m sure.

“There are many places I enjoy a dram but if I had to pick one #youranCnoc moment it would be sitting up on my plant-filled roof terrace looking over New York’s East Village–– my little oasis of calm and relaxation amongst the madness of the city. Perfect after a hard day of drawing.”

Each winner in the #youranCnoc campaign will also receive a bottle of the latest Limited Edition.

For more information on the anCnoc range or the #youranCnoc campaign please visit www.anCnoc.com

Notes

About anCnoc Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

anCnoc Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky  is produced at the Knockdhu Distillery which was established in 1894 and is one of the smallest and most enchanting in the Scottish Highlands. It’s renowned the world over by malt enthusiasts for producing a single malt that makes every day a special occasion. The new limited edition product joins the popular anCnoc 12 year old, a light yet complex dram and a yearly vintage, currently the 1998, which is bottled in its natural form producing high intensity malt.

Known for championing the contemporary visual arts and this new campaign builds on anCnoc’s grassroots arts sponsorships in cutting-edge Scottish galleries, which to date have generated a vibrant and modern environment for drinking whisky.

About Peter Arkle 

Peter Arkle is been a freelance Scottish illustrator, based in New York City.  Born in Penicuik he graduated from St. Martin’s School of Art and the Royal College of Art in London, before moving to New York, where his unique style flourished. He has been working freelance since 1993, contributing to books, newspapers and magazines such as The New Yorker, Newsweek and Oprah, in addition to leading global brands and businesses.

About International Beverage 

International Beverage Holdings (www.interbevgroup.com) was established in 2005 as the international arm of ThaiBev, one of South East Asia’s leading alcohol beverage companies. With a network of regional offices in Asia, Europe and North America, the company is responsible for the production, sales, marketing and distribution of a portfolio of premium global brands in over 80 countries and territories.

Inver House Distillers (www.inverhouse.com) is globally integrated into International Beverage Holdings and drives the distillation and maturation of Scotch through its five distilleries.

International Beverage brands include:

• Chang Beer: Thailand’s iconic beer brand
• Single Malt Scotch Whiskies: Old Pulteney, Balblair, anCnoc, Speyburn
• Blended Whiskies: Hankey Bannister
• Mekhong: ‘The Spirit of Thailand’ since 1941
• Caorunn – a small batch distilled Scottish Gin infused with 5 Celtic botanicals

The company’s success is built on the combination of a strong understanding of local cultures and markets with the creation of a truly global operational network.  Brand building pays respect to heritage, provenance and craftsmanship whilst delivering innovative and highly effective strategies at global level. A skilled and dedicated team of more than 12 nationalities speaking over 14 languages delivers the highest standards of customer service and attention to detail across all aspects of the business.

UK vlogger Joe Ellis a.k.a Whisky Wednesday reviews Redbreast 12 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey.

http://youtu.be/xva5fQ0Ppxg

http://Facebook.com/whiskytube

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

Thursday June 6th.
Single Malt Scotch Tasting
4:30 P.M.  or  6:00 P.M
Ed Kohl with Exclusive Malts of Scotland

Ed Kohl is with Impex Beverages fairly new importer / distributor that is building a portfolio of very good single malts. Ed has been in the industry for years, and has been specializing with Scotch Whisky for quite some time and will take us through their new line of Exclusive Malts single cask range. The tastings will start at 4:30 & 6:00 and will run for 45 to 55 minutes. Please try to be prompt for the start. 
This is a wonderful range of single cask – single malts that you do not want to miss.

Bowmore  11 Y.O.  53.6%           $104.99 – $94.99
Nose: subtle peat with faint tar
Palate: sweet suer cane moving into spicy heather mixed with camphor
Finish: sweet malt and spicy white pepper

Clynelish  15 Y.O.  55.7%         $110.00 – $99.99
Nose:New mown hay, heather
Palate: Grassy heather, honey malt, hazelnuts
Finish: long, flowery, malty with a pleasant spiciness

Mortlach   17 Y.O.  53.3%   $127.99 – $114.99
Nose: nougat, roasted nuts, nutmeg
Palate: sugar spice, camphor, cinnamon – nutmeg
Finish: sweet malty finish with orange citrus spiciness

Glen Grant  20 Y.O.  55.7%   $149.99 – $134.99
Nose: sherry, heavy malt profile
Palate: sweet malt, some grassiness and nutty tones, very complex

Littlemill 22 Y.O.  99.6%      $179.99 – $159.99
Nose: lemons grass, toffee
Palate: soft and creamy, butterscotch, toasted coconut, almond paste
Finish: very pleasant soft malts with a lemon citrus finish

Joe Howell

Federal Wine & Spirits

Email: info@federalwine.com

Phone: (617) 367-8605

Web: http://www.federalwine.com/

Welcome to Summer!

Or so it would seem. Having personally just spent 3 days bathed in glorious sunshine on the Isle of Islay, I am full of the joys of spring – well as much as I am actually able…

With the year nearing its halfway mark, we at The Whisky Lounge have already completed 5 of our Whisky Festival events – if you count Leeds this weekend – having also covered Newcastle, Brighton, Edinburgh, London. That is some mileage in anyone’s book!

Most recently we had the London Festival and Jam & Dram session, which was brilliant fun and was received by all extremely well. If you do Facebook, you can go and view some images, plus the moody Edinburgh Whisky Festival video… In fact click here to have a look.

However, there is no rest for the wicked – we still have another 4 to go, so there is no let up in the pace. Plus we have loads of things going on over the summer, including for Father’s Day, our popular Whisky Schools, a fabulous and exclusive Glenmorangie Cask Masters Series and further shenanigans up and down the country.

First of all though…

Our next festival, after Leeds, is in new territory for us, and as always we are very excited and looking forward to seeing lots of new (and old) faces on the 22nd June.

We have had an early-bird of 2 tickets for just £30 for a little while now, but just to ensure you don’t miss out, we are keeping this going until just Sunday 2nd June, so you’d best get your skates on!! Incredible! We really would like to get whisky-drinkers new and old along, so if you know anyone in the area, please let them know of this amazing offer…

As always, your ticket price includes:

• FREE Glencairn Crystal Tasting Glass
• FREE Festival Guide
• FREE Bottle of Water
• FREE Access to sample ALL ‘On The Counter’ Drams for no extra cost
• FREE 2 WHITE Under The Counter Dram tokens
• FREE Guided tour of the festival – for newbies and the uninitiated (see website for details)
• ACCESS to The Whisky Exchange shop within the festival

THE CASK MASTERS

We’re always on the hunt for something a little different to get ourselves – and yourselves – involved with. To this end, we have decided to partner with Glenmorangie for our summer series of tastings.

The ‘Morangie currently have a very exciting initiative called the Cask Masters, which appeals to the inner geek in us, and I suspect you too.

The basic idea behind this project is that Glenmorangie want the next limited release bottling to be chosen by the people who are going to be drinking it, i.e you! The first part of this process – and the best bit as far as we’re concerned – is getting to taste the whiskies concerned.

Therefore, you will get to taste, evaluate and choose your favourite from three cask samples (at 46% ABV), whilst using the Original Ten Years Old as a reference point. These have been chosen by Dr. Bill Lumsden (Head of Whisky Creation, Glenmorangie & Ardbeg), so as you would expect, they are top-drawer drams.

We are running this tasting in all of our UK locations, plus a special Edinburgh version which will be co-hosted by Dr. Bill Lumsden himself on the 24th of July. More news on this soon…

Perhaps the best news of all though….. these tastings are only £10 per person! Now if that doesn’t do it for you, nothing will!

Click here to go the events page where these tastings are now available to book… If you want find out more from the horse’s mouth, click here or on one of the banners above.

FATHER’S DAY!

It is that time of year again where we celebrate all things fatherly. Here at The Whisky Lounge we are no different and firmly believe in showing your appreciation for the father in your life, so here we have a few ideas for you…

GLEN GRANT 1974

We have kept back some of this amazing liquid for such a time as this. We, having shared in a portion of this with Berry Brothers, were staggered at the quality and the sheer tastiness of this dram. At not far off 40 years old, this is not creaky like some older bottlings can be, and at a satisfying full-strength of 47.8% ABV, this really is the real deal. We’ve also heard that the Berry’s 70cl version was extremely well-received by a certain Jim Murray who, in fact, made it his ‘Best Single Cask, Single Malt 35-40 Years Old’ in his last Whisky Bible…

There are only around 15 of our cute 20cl bottles of this remaining and at £59.99 we do not expect them to last…

We can even add a beautiful Whisky Lounge Gift Box and two Glencairn tasting glasses for an extra £10 – click here to go straight to this amazing whisky.

Our first raft of Whisky Schools earlier in the year were extremely well-received and sold-out in the main. To this end we have got some new dates for you in the autumn so you and/or your Dad have plenty of time to clear your diary. Rather than go on about how great they are and you really should go, here is a little video we put together that hopefully whets the appetite!

At only £90 per person you get tremendous bang for your buck…

As well as all of the whiskies on tasting, 2-course lunch and course material, you get to BLEND your own whisky and take a miniature of it away with you!

New dates are;

June 29th – London, Malmaison
September 7th – London, Malmaison
September 14th – Manchester, Malmaison
September 28th – Edinburgh, Hotel Du Vin
October 5th – Newcastle, Hotel Du Vin
October 5th – York, Hotel Du Vin

Click here to go to the Whisky Schools page and get booking!

NEWS

A new section where we round-up some industry news…

The Scotsman, 26th May 2013
The Indian single malt whisky hoping to break into the UK market
Featuring one of our newest exhibitors who will be at the remaining festivals this year.

The Guardian, 24th May 2013
Japanese distiller aims to revolutionise whisky drinking
Interesting slant on summer whisky-drinking?

Harpers, 24th May 2013
Glenfarclas and Hine join forces for 1953 vintage
Some very rare whisky and cognac from 60 years ago.

Just Drinks, 23rd May 2013
The Macallan Coronation 
Brief details of newest Macallan limited bottlings.

Spirits Business, 22nd May 2013
BUFFALO TRACE WARNS OF BOURBON SHORTAGE
Warning as demand outstrips supply! Aggghhh!

WHISKY LOUNGE NEWS

We are very close to securing our venues for both Liverpool and Manchester Whisky Festivals, but put the dates of 7th September and 12th October in your diaries…

We are also looking at an autumn date for our next ‘Islay, Backstage Tours’ which are now sold out for this summer’s versions from 15th June. We would like to hear from you with regards if and when YOU would like to go. In fact the first 50 people to express their interest and preferred dates during September/October will be entered into a prize draw for a special bottle of something peaty! Click here to respond.

Eddie has just got back from two days at the Islay Festival 2013 and has bottles and sunburn to prove it. Talking of which, have a little look at this short video he has just put together of his time there…

COMPETITION TIME!

And finally…given that Eddie came back with a few of the fabled Feis Ile bottlings from this years festival, we thought it would be rude to keep them all to ourselves…

Therefore we are offering small samples of the Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig Feis Ile 2013 bottlings to the first 5 people who can tell us:

1. What is the name of the (in)famous Ardbeg distillery dog?
2. In what year did the legendary Malt Mill distillery at Lagavulin stop distilling?
3. What does the word ‘Laphroaig’ mean?

Email us at info@thewhiskylounge.com with your answers, name and address and we’ll announce the winners through our Facebook page and Twitter feed next week.

That’s pretty much it from us for now but I think that is enough to be going on with! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter – @thewhiskylounge – and like and share our Facebook page to keep bang up to date with the latest news about our events and more.

We look forward to seeing you over a dram or two soon.

Sláinte!

Eddie, Amanda & Joe
Team Whisky Lounge

Top-Up Tipplers: which will you choose?
Ever come to our website for that special bottling, only to find that another lucky Member has snapped up the last one? We added an exciting selection of new-to-the-UK bottlings on Monday and they’re proving very popular with several already sold out. Here are your top five choices this week – but don’t worry: these are still available!

Online Exclusives: Members’ Top Five

1)  4.163 Soaring sweetness and ocean spray
11yo First-fill ex-bourbon barrel, £57.40Various bass notes grounded the nose (tobacco, creosote, burnt sticks, white pepper, chipotle chilli, balsamic reduction) but soaring on a breeze of clean, minty smoke and ocean spray, was a kite made of toffee, puff candy and chocolate melted over ice-cream More 

2)  35.86 Sumptuous breakfast dram
11yo First-fill ex-sherry butt, £43.90 The nose suggested sumptuous breakfasts – cinnamon toast, marmalade, bran flakes, prunes, coffee, pancakes with corn syrup, cranberries and Nutella on toasted bagels. More

3)  2.83 Intense explosion of taste
19yo Refill ex-bourbon hogshead, £80.50 The nose really grabbed our interest – so much in it – summer fruits, cherry Bakewell, apple and berry tea; maple syrup, toffee and Fry’s Turkish Delight; mulled wine, tobacco and old books. More

4)  27.101 Sweet and savoury, clean and earthy
16yo Refill ex-bourbon hogshead, £68.00 Smoky, oily and meaty – the nose evoked a restaurant kitchen’s back door – soft leather and wood  suggested upholstery shops – we also found dark chocolate, heather flowers, clove and citric notes intensifying over time. More

5)  35.80 Steamed Apple Sponge Pudding
21yo Second fill ex-bourbon hogshead, £66.90 We found ourselves in a cafe in a book shop with a variety of cakes on display; Viennese Apple Strudel, French Tarte Tatin, caramelised pineapple cake and slices of Battenberg. There is also a basket of oranges and Pink Lady apples to choose from. More

Browse all bottlings

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.

www.ralfy.com take to the fishing boats with Whisky Review 364 – Old Pulteney WK209 Good Hope

A word from Glen Garioch:

“We’ve launched our new website at GlenGarioch.com. It’s littered with information on our whiskies, stories from the distillery’s history, plus a brand new news section with writing from whisky experts from around the globe. Go check it out if you are adventurous enough to discover it!”

A Whisky Shop world exclusive Kilchoman 2008 is now in stock simply click the image to buy. Only available while stocks last!

We are very proud to announce the arrival of the new Kilchoman 2008 – bottled exclusively for The Whisky Shop. This expression has been bottled from a first fill bourbon cask at a natural cask strength of 61% volume.

One of only 260 bottles every created.

Only £84.99 – simply click here to buy

Irish Whiskey Tour with a group from Finland

May 2013, the Island of Ireland.

May 2013; an Irish whiskey tour with DaleyIrishTours, part of MCLEANSCOTLAND & Angels.

We took friends from Finland on tour with us to the Island of Ireland. A grand tour followed, we set out from Dublin airport, heading the three hours doon to Midleton, where we discovered Midleton Distillery Museum, a good tour was followed by a better tasting session, excellent to be precise. It’s just a shame we couldn’t see the actual working distillery, the museum was excellent, the size of that still! We then drove the short distance to our hotel – which, surprise, had a bar! But we headed out into town and found Paul’s favourite bar here, Paddy Casey’s followed by the Mad Monk, then a seafood restaurant, drinks appeared in each place strange enough! . A good night to start.

The day after we headed north to Kilkenny, we stopped here for a few hours, er, we found Tynan’s pub, we shared a dram and a Guinness, and Dylan’s pub, Dylans was particularly good, lots of drinks, a Titanic whiskey (no ice please) . From here to Kilbeggan distillery, another grand museum tour followed by many grand drams, our tasting expert here was John Cashman, who took us through many drams, all enjoyable. Good man. Heading then 15 minutes away to Tullamore and our hotel. Entertainment tonight was in Hugh Lynch’s pub, Emmet had laid on food, a whiskey tasting and traditional music, what a night! Many thanks must go to Paul’s pal PJ, of the Malt Teasers club, Dublin for helping arrange this night. We recommend everyone to visit here!

Third day; a morning visit to Tullamore Dew, another museum tour and grand tasting, many drams consumed here and a great “show round”, this is a new facility and they have made an excellent job of this, we were all impressed. From here, we drove to Letterkenny where we had a few hours free time. Followed by check in at the castle hotel in Donegal. Another enjoyable night, this time at the Scotsman’s bar in town, more music, many locals and many drinks! This is becoming a habit.

Following morning we headed out to Derry, we were met and welcomed by the Mayor and Paul’s chum Aoife, lovely girl so she is. Free time here before checking into our hotel, less said about that the better.  Anyhow, following morning saw us wandering over to the Giant’s causeway and Bushmills Distillery, where once again a grand (even in the hard rain) working distillery tour and even better tasting 10 drams here. Niall is a good man here folks! Down to the Republic again, near Slane, actually Navan for the night, good stuff! More Irish whiskey followed.  Following morning we hit Slane Castle, Alex welcomed us to his home and described how he will start building his own distillery here (ee; http://angelswhiskyclub.com/awc/slanecastlewhiskey.asp), meantime, we toured the castle and downed 4 good drams, including Slane Castle own!  I have to say here, Cooley used to supply him (and many other independents) but have now said no to all outside labels, hence his decision to build his own, away to go Alex. On to Dublin, check in for the final night in Ireland, but before we went another tasting was planned. With the help of Gillian of Castle Brands, we had Clontarf x 2, Knappogue Castle, Celtic Honey and Jeffersons Bourbon to sample, Paul took this tasting, his evenings are very different, fast, sharp and plenty of time for the tastings, no history business!  The Honey was not the most popular, we gave the bottle (what was left) to the bar (cafe en Seine, fabulous place), Clontarf went, so did Knappougue, so too most of the Jeffersons, the bar got a few drams and everyone went back to the hotel happy!

All in all, a very good Irish tour, everyone was really happy! Looking forward to the next one!

“After organizing a few truly excellent group trips for us in the isles of Western Scotland and the Mull of Kintyre, we decided to choose Mclean Scotland also as the organizer of Malt Whisky Association of Finland’s first-ever venture to Ireland. Now in hindsight this was a really wise decision, which we did not regret one bit, on the contrary! Our week-long tour of Ireland could not have been better organized, and the contents of the tour, pitstops, etc were all extremely well selected. The timetable was just right, not too tight, and we all thoroughly enjoyed what Ireland has to offer – local foods, culture, whiskey, and lively pubs with live music to entertain us! Our coach and driver were spot on, adding to the experience – a detail not to forget, due to the distances (we really went all over the island!). Paul’s network of contacts and ability to provide us with lovely, unexpected surprises (like a live local band & ex-tempore whiskey tasting, guided by an expert at Hugh Lynch’s pub in Tullamore – what a night!) really made us all extremely happy indeed. We will be back in Ireland – and in Scotland. Many thanks Mclean Scotland, Slainte!!!!”

Mika r. Jansson

President

Malt Whisky Association of Finland

UK vlogger Joe Ellis a.k.a Whisky Wednesday reviews Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey.

http://youtu.be/iKizmJDi_8c

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http://Twitter.com/whiskytube